Napoleon Dynamite #3: Lafawnduh and Order

Napoleon Dynamite #3
Written by: Carlos Guzman-Verdugo & Alejandro Verdugo
Art and Colors by: Jorge Monlongo
Design and Letters by: Christa Miesner
Cover by: Sara Richard
Assistant Edits by: Megan Brown
Edited by: Tom Waltz
Released: Jan. 15, 2020

I enjoyed the first two issues of IDW's “Napoleon Dynamite” series, but things shifted into another gear with #3.

Kip arrives on the scene to help clear Uncle Rico's name as a suspect in the murder of Councilman Doug Young, the quarterback ahead of him on the depth chart in that fateful state title game. Lafawnduh, a corporate attorney (did we know that? Guess I need to “make” myself rewatch the movie, again), offers to represent him but Rico's idea of help is to pin the maybe-murder on Kip himself.

And that's just the first two-thirds of page 1. I was laughing out loud and continued to do so through most of the issue.

Kip, whose voice on the page fits Aaron Ruell's from the movie to a tee, offers to distract the investigative podcasters with an in-depth tour of Preston and a behind-the-scenes look at his and Rico's sales business. Dani and Jay accept, figuring Kip will spill the beans on something important eventually.

Meanwhile, Deb asks Napoleon to work with Joana Gato to figure out who sabotaged the student election, while she attempts damage control after Pedro's disastrous press conference. Pedro accepts her help after the latest plan by him and his cousins to sway public opinion fails in hilariously low-key fashion.

Deb sets up a gathering for Pedro to broker peace between the dueling owners of Rex Kwon Do and A.C.E. Combat, but it backfires. Napoleon reluctantly teams with Joana and their search leads them to a shocking revelation about who copied the phony ballots that will have to wait for the next issue.

The police finally come for Rico, who promptly disregards Lafawnduh's legal advice and makes a break for it, only to be tripped up by a fence and Tina the llama. It's all building to a head for the fourth issue, which I already wish wasn't the last.

The writers continue to find a balance between movie callbacks and this new story, which feels simultaneously original and firmly planted in the source material. Monlongo's art remains dynamic, giving a vibrancy to even the most mundane sequences.

So basically what I said about last issue, but even funnier.

I was glad to see the Rex vs. A.C.E. subplot dovetailing with the main story. As additional references were made to city zoning allowing the new dojo to open across the street from the existing one, I'm starting to wonder if they won't also figure into the truth about Councilman Young. I'm reading this more for the reactions of the characters to the mysteries, rather than expecting a complex explanation, but I get a feeling this series will succeed on both counts.